Fiber-trimming apparatus.



M. S. WEAVER.

FIBER TRIMMING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-8, 19H. RENEWED FEB. 5, I915.

1,139,609; Patented May18,1915.

INVENTOR A Home ED STATES rmaa-rammmo Arramms,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May is, 1915.

Application fl1ed. September 8, 1911, Serial No. 848,368.; RenewedFebruary 5, 1915 Serial No. 6,372.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARVIN S. WEAVER,\8.citizen of the United States, residing at Johnson City, in the county ofWashington and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Fiber-Trimming Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification, referencebeing had to the accom- I i f for-shearmg. Saidblades are mounted on panying drawing. I

My improvement relatesto means for re- 'moving loose fiber ends from thesurfaces of fiberfabrics, for example, cloth, carpets, etc.

7 vide means for placing the loose fiber ends, v

- ting edge of the kn1fe,"1, is a pneumatic head, 11, having a mouth,12, next said edge;

The object of the improvement is to prowhich are to be removed wholly orin part, approximately perpendicular to the surface to which they areattached, in order that said fiber ends may be morereadily reached --orengaged-by the means used for removing .20

or partially removingv such fiber ends. For example, in the finishing ofcloth by shearing or singeingthe surface, the fiber ends which are to beremoved by shearing or singeing are to be made to stand approximatelyperpendicular to the surface of the cloth, in order that they may bemore readily engaged or reached by the means usedfor shearing orsingeing. Moving'air is the agent used for causing such fiber ends tostand approximately erect or perpendicular tofthe surface to which saidfibers are attached. As will hereinafter appear, the air thus used maybe moved by driving or by suction or exhaustion; and the means used forproducing the air movement may be varied ac'cordmg to conditions. Themechanism used for producing such air movement may also, as willhereinafter appear, be used as a means for conveying or conducting theall cut portions of the fibers away from the sur- In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1' proxlmately perpendicular to the surface of ing atright angles to the direction of sight in Fig.1; Fig. 3 is, an uprightsection of another form of the apparatus; Fig. 4: is a sectional plan'of the same apparatus; Fig. 5 is a modification of the apparatus shownin Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. 6 is a modification of the apparatus shown inFigs. 1 and 2. 4

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a sheet of cloth or similar fiberfabric from the surface of which projecting'fiber ends are-to besheared.A stationary knife, 1, is supported-by a plate, 2, by means of bindingbolts, 3, extending through slots, 4, in the plate, 2. Any number ofadjusting bolts, 5, are seated in the plate, 2, to bear against the backof the knife, 1, for the adjustment of said knife. spiral blades, 6, arearranged to work 111 opposition to the blade, 1,

the arms, 7 supported on hubs, 8, which surround-and are rigidly securedto a rotary dri ve'shaft,' 9, resting in suitable bearings(not"shown)";and-receiving power by any means not shown; 3 Directlybelow the cut- Said head is a little longer than said knife,

Qand said mouth is narrow and approximately as long as said knife. Thesheet of cloth extends across and rests upon the lips, 13, the spacebetween said lips and the knife, 1, being made suflicient only for thefree movement of the cloth between said lips and the cutting edge ofsaid knife. At each slde of and parallel to the pneumatic head is aguide roller, 14, beneath which the sheet knife, 1, and the pneumatichead, 11, while the shaft, 9, bearing the spiral blades, 6, is beingrotated. A pipe, 15, leads to the pneumatic head, 11, from any suitabledevices or apparatus for driving air through said pipe and thencethrough said pneumatic head and the mouth, 12, against and through thecloth sheet, A. The stream of air thus moving through said cloth isapperpendicular to the path traversed by the fabric.

In Figs. 3 and 4,; stationary sickle blade,

. ing a pneumatic head.

16, is substituted for the stationary knife, 1, of Figs. 1 and 2 and thereciprocatory blade, 17, is substituted for the spiral blade, 6.

A pitman, 18, reciprocates the blade, 17.

The cloth, A, extends over a roller, 19, and a guide plate, 20. Abovethe sickle blades and the cloth is a hood or housing, 21, form- A pipe,22, leads from said head to any suitable means or mechanism forexhausting air out of said head through said pipe. lhe hood, 21,projects forward of the sickle blades and bears upon the upper face ofthe cloth, A, thus leaving a space between the edge of said hood and theknives along which only the cloth intervenes between the outsideatmosphere and the space within the pneumatic hood, thus allowing theoutside air to push upward through the cloth in a stream to supply theair being exhausted from said head through the pipe, 22. This stream ofair thus passing by exhaustion upward through the cloth adjacent thecutting means (the two sickle blades), causes the loose fiber ends onthe upper faceof the" cloth to rise and stand approximatelyperpendicular to the upper face of the cloth in front of said cuttingmeans, in suitable po sition to be sheared closely to the surface of thecloth. I 1 v In Fig. 5, the sickle blades are used as 'in Figs. 3 and 4;but the hood, 21, is omitted and the pneumatic head, 11,-of Figs. 1 and2 is located below the cloth for driving air upward through the cloth.in front of the sickle blades.

In Fig. 6, the cutting mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2 is used but thepneumatic head, 11, of Figs. 1 and 2 is omitted anda pneumatic head, 23,placed above the knife, 1, and the knife plate, 2, and around the rotaryknife member which comprises the three spiral blades, 6, the wall of thehead, 23, meeting: the upper" face of the cloth a little way in front ofthe cutting edge of the stationary knife, 1, thus leaving a portion ofthe clot immediately in front of the cutting edge of said knife clearfor the passage of air upmately perpendicular to the surface of thecloth and causes the loose ends 'of fibers on the upper face of thecloth surface to rise and stand approximately perpendicular to thesurface of the cloth in suitable position to adapt the knives toshear'said fibers close .65 p

to the surface of the cloth.

In all of these several forms of the apparatusfthere is a relativemovement or traversing between the fiber-removing means and thefiber-bearing. surface; and the cutting is done in a planewhich isparallel to the liber b'e'aring surface orthe fabric path;

and the air movement is approximately perpendicular to the fiber-bearingsurface or fabric path and away from said surface or fabric path andadjacent to the fiber-removing means. In Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the stream ofair thus moving approximately perpendicularly away from the.fiber-bearing surface is formed by driving air to and through the fabrichaving the fiber-bearing surface, while in the forms illustrated byFigs. 3, +1

and 6, suchstream of air is formed by ex-' haustion .or the productionof a partial vacuum above the fiber-bearing surface.

The spiral blades, 6, the arms, 7, the hubs, 8, and the rotary driveshaft, 9, of Figs. 1, 2 and 6 together constitute a rotary cuttingmemberyoperating in conjunction with the stationary knife, 1, to shearsaid fibers.

I In the forms shown by Figs. 3, 4e and 6,

the fiber fragments cutfrom the cloth are carried away with the airexhausted from the pneumatic head.

The method herein described is made the subjectof an application forLetters-Patent,

'Ser. No. 748,969. filed Feb. 17, 1913.

I claim as my invention: 1, 'An apparatus adapted to relatively trav-"erse the-surface of a sheet form fiber fabric and comprising meansoperating parallel ito said surface for removing surface fiber endsalong said surface and means for moving air and limiting such movementto a coursethrough said fabric and adjacent and toward said fiber endremovingmeans,

.whereby surface fiber ends may be directed outward from said surfaceinto position to be removed by the fiber end removing means,substantially as described.

g 2. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse the surface of a sheetform fiber fabric and comprising means operating parallel to the fabricfor cutting surface ber ends ,along said surface and means for movingair and limiting such movement to a course through said fabric andadjacent and toward said fiber end removing means, whereby surfacefiberends may be directedoutward from said surface into position to be cut bythe cutting means, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse the surface of a sheetform fiber fab-- ric and comprising means operating parallel to saidsurface for removing surface fiber ends along said surface and'means formoving air by exhaustion and limiting such movement to a course throughsaid fabric and adjacent and toward said fiber end removing means,whereby surface fiber ends 1,1se,ece

may be directed outward from said surface into position to be removed bythe fiber end removing means, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse a' sheet form fibersurface and comprising means' operating parallel to the fab ric forcutting surface fiber ends along said surface, and means for moving airby exhaustion and limiting such movement to a course through said fabricand adjacent and toward said fiber end removing means, whereby surfacefiber ends may be directed outward from said surface into position to becut by the cutting means, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse a sheet of fiber fabricand comprising surface'fiber end cutting means located opposite and nearsaid surface and outside of the plane of said fabric and consisting of arelatively stationary knife and a relatively movable knife set forcutting parallel to the plane of the fabric, and said apparatus alsocomprising means for moving air and limiting such movement to a coursethrough said fabric and adjacent and toward said knives,.

whereby such fiber ends may be directed outward from said surface intoposition to be cut by said knives, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse the surface of a sheetform fiber fabric and comprising surface fiber end cut ting meanslocated opposite and near said surface and outside of the plane of saidsurface and consisting of a relatively stationary knife and a relativelymovable knife for cutting parallel to the plane of the fabric, and saidapparatus also comprising means for moving air by exhaustion andlimifing such movement to a course through said fabric and adjacent andtoward said knives, whereby surface fiber ends may be directed outwardfrom said surface into position to be cut off by said knife,substantially as described.

7. An apparatus adapted to relatively traverse a sheet form fiber fabricand com prising surface fiber end cu ting means located opposite andnear said fabric and outside the plane of said fabric and consisting ofa relatively stationary knife and a rotary cutting member for cuttingparallel to said fabric, and said apparatus also comprising means formoving air and limiting such movement to a course through said fabricand adjacent and toward said cutting mechanism, whereby fiber endsmay bedirected outward from said surface into position to be removed by saidcutting means, substantially as described.

8. An apparatus having a path for a sheet form body and comprising fiberend rcmoving means outside of and beside said path and operatingparallel to said path and means for moving air and limiting suchmovement to a course through said path opposite and toward said fiberend removing means, whereby fiber ends on a sheet form fiber fabric bodyin said path may be directed outward into position to be operated uponby the fiber end removing means, substantially as described. 0

9. An apparatus having a path for a sheet form body and comprising fiberend cutting means iocated outside of and beside said path and operatingparallel to said path and means for moving air and limiting suchmovement to a course through said path opposite and toward said fiberend cutting means, whereby fiber ends on a sheetform fiber fabric bodyin said path may be directed outward into position to be operated uponby the fiber end cutting means, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of twowitnesses, this fifth day of September, in the year one thousand ninehundred and eleven.

MARVIN S. WEAVER.

Witnessesi J. E. Cnoncn, S. A. Bowman.

